6 Fingers: Better than 5?

Since the Rangers stink, perhaps we should further investigate the digits of Antonio Alfonseca, the fine relief pitcher for the Rangers who has 6 fingers on each hand, and 6 toes on each foot. Fascinating, no?

Polydactyls have six or more digits on their hands or feet. The extra digits vary from small pieces of soft tissue to apparently complete digits. In Western societies, they are usually surgically removed during early life.

The condition is reported in about 1 child in every 500, although the frequency varies greatly from population to population. It is higher in some groups (an example is the Amish in the United States) due to the founder effect.

Historically and in the contemporary world, polydactylyism has been associated with witchcraft, psychic power, the extraterrestrial, divine connection, and sporting prowess.

Then, this email from a good strong:

His nickname is "El Pulpo" or "The Octopus". He has six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, a condition known as polydactyly; his extra small fingers next to his pinky have no influence on his pitching, as they don't touch the ball. This is a trait he inherited from his father. Several family members have this trait, and they regard it with pride, as a kind of family emblem.

Christopher Griffin

Through my extensive research on this important news story, I was able to find the following 2 pictures of our new pitcher:

Picture #1:



And now, picture #2:



This is the type of thing you can expect from this blog.

Meanwhile, in less important news, Dirk hits a big shot to win an ugly game …

If this game was a preview of the first round of the playoffs, expect a grind-it-out series. The game had less flow than traffic on the 405 freeway, with both teams shooting less than 38 percent from the field. The Mavericks scored a season-low 11 points in the third quarter, totaled only 25 points in the second half and still won.

Elton Brand, the Clippers leading scorer, struggled against the combination of DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier, going 4-of-15 from the field for 13 points. One of his few open shots was a 15-footer for the lead in the final minute, a shot he missed badly.

Monday marked the third time the teams have played this season. The Mavericks have have won all three, sandwiching two-point wins around a 20-point blowout.

“I don’t think either team walks away thinking they have a major edge,’’ Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. “I think they know if we play really well we can beat them, and we know if they play well that they can beat us.’’

The difference: the Mavericks didn’t play well Monday and still won.

Shocking! Rangers lose ….

On Monday, Los Angeles kept striking two-out hits against Loe in their 5-2 win that started the Rangers' nine-game trip to the West Coast. The Angels had six two-out hits in the first three innings. Four of them drove in runs.

"They battled and fought off some pitches and found holes," Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. "It's the kind of team they have been the last couple of years."
It was the fourth start Loe has made against the Angels in his 11-start career. The Rangers have lost all four games. Then again, no Rangers pitcher has beaten the Angels in the teams' last seven meetings. The Rangers are 2-12 against Los Angeles in the last 14 games.

As a starter, Loe is 0-3 against Los Angeles and Oakland, which he will face Sunday. His ERA against those clubs: 6.31. Loe is 4-1 with a 1.97 ERA in his seven starts against all other teams.

Loe was unavailable after the game.

Saints move in on Keith Davis …

Cowboys safety Keith Davis signed a two-year offer sheet with the New Orleans Saints on Monday, and Dallas has seven days to match the offer or let him go.

Davis, a restricted free agent, will receive roughly $2.1 million in 2006, about three times the $712,000 the Cowboys had offered him in a one-year deal. The offer sheet includes a $1.2 million roster bonus for 2006.

Because Davis joined the Cowboys as undrafted free agent in 2002, they wouldn't receive any compensation if they let him go to the Saints.

Stars television = struggling …

The Stars remain a tough sell on television. Through April 1, games on Fox Sports Southwest had an average rating of 0.8 – down from 1.4 in 2003-04. Games on KDFI-TV (Channel 27) had a rating of 1.3 – down from 1.9 in 2003-04.

Ramon Alvarez, spokesman for FSN, said that the Stars' 1999 Stanley Cup boosted the club's TV ratings for years – and that the lockout is bound to have a similar impact in reverse. "But a good playoff run will really help our numbers, and it would help for years to come," Alvarez said.

Radio host wars in Chicago …these guys appear to be a bit impressed with themselves…

Jimmy Johnson: Rug, not a Rug …

Genius Link of the Day: Game 6 of the 1986 World Series Reenacted by Video Game …

I got this email that I wanted to make you aware of about Jay who is trying to do something cool for our armed services:

hey Sturm,

this is Jay turner, in austin.

Hey, good news, donateyourxbox.org is taking shape.

the good folks at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil are actually going to handle all the logistics (packaging, mailing, etc.) for me.

All i have to do is get the word out!

Jay Turner

Keep in mind that the number one problem for most of our soldiers is boredom. And the number one enemy of boredom is video games! Jay is trying to get your old video games to them. Good job, Jay.

West Wing changes the outcome of election for death …

But the reversal of fortune for Matt Santos — the Democratic nominee, played by Jimmy Smits, who was the victor — had nothing to do with any shift in opinion among voters.

Instead, Lawrence O'Donnell, an executive producer of the show, said he and his fellow writers had declared Santos the winner only after the death, in mid-December, of John Spencer, who portrayed Santos's running mate, Leo McGarry. At the time of Mr. Spencer's death, the plot for last night's episode had been set: the election was to be won by Alan Alda's Arnold Vinick, a maverick Republican (modeled a bit on Senator John McCain), whom many Democrats (including the Democrats who write the show) could learn to love.

But after Mr. Spencer died, Mr. O'Donnell said in a recent interview, he and his colleagues began to confront a creative dilemma: would viewers be saddened to see Mr. Smits's character lose both his running mate and the election? The writers decided that such an outcome would prove too lopsided, in terms of taxing viewers' emotions, so a script with the new, bittersweet ending — including the election-night death of Mr. Spencer's character — was undertaken by John Wells, executive producer of "The West Wing" and "E.R."

Prank of the Day …Toronto Blue Jays get it done!

Newberg goes big time …

Ouch: dude gets run through the boards …

Predators Goalie Vokoun out for season …Shouldn’t have to worry about Nashville, now…

This email:

NCAA Hockey Champs!!!
Great Game!

Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger..... (love that song!!!)

How many Badgers are in the NHL? Do you know?

P1 Badger Jim

Sure, Jim. Here is the list of Badgers in the NHL presently …

And finally, from Jeff Bowerman, my buddy who works at the Brahmas:

Fort Worth- The Fort Worth Brahmas will be conducting an online auction of their 2005-2006 game worn home white jerseys. The online auction will take place on the Brahmas official team website, www.brahmas.com.

The Brahmas 2005-2006 home white jerseys are trimmed with purple, silver and black stripes on the sleeves. The shoulders of the jerseys are solid black bordered with a silver and purple stripes. On the front of the jersey, the crest is of the Brahmas new purple and silver bullhead logo. The back and sleeve jersey numbers are black with purple trim. The nameplates on the jerseys are in black lettering. All of the jerseys have a Baylor Medical Center patch on the front right chest.

There are 25 game worn jerseys with player nameplates in the auction. The starting bid for all of the jerseys is $100.00.

The online jersey auction will begin on Wednesday, April 5, at 12:00 noon. The auction will end on Wednesday, April 12 at 12:00 noon.

The E-bay style jersey auction is open to the public. To place a bid on a jersey, please go to the “Auction” page (http://brahmas.com/merchandise/auction) on the Brahmas team website. Create an Auction User Account, and then place a bid on the jersey (or jerseys) of your choice.

Who is taller? Dirk or Gary Bettman?